Selector means for knitting machines



Oct. 21, 1941. LAWSON 2,259,897

' SELECTOR MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed July 11, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q r OBERTEZ/H/YSMI F1615. F1C.6.

Oct. 21, "1941. R. H. LAWSON 2,259,897 vSELECTOR MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed July 11, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zia Patented Oct. 21, 1941 UNITED E.

s PATENT OFFICE SELECTOR MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES" 7 Robert Lawson, Pawtucket, R. I.,. assignor to.

Hemphill'. Company, CentralfFalls, E..I., acorpo'ration of Massachusetts Application July 121, 1935, Serial No. 30,802

6 Claims.

Fig. 3 is a View similar to "Fig. 2 but taken along the line 3, Fig. I;

- Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig; l'but showing a modification;

Fig. 5 is. a fragmentary view in section taken along the line 5, Fig. 4;' and Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig-5 but taken alongthe line 6, Fig. 4. i 1

A. needle bed I which may be in the form of a -cylinder is shown as being grooved as at 2 within which grooves are seated removable, hardenedv needle backing walls 3. Also mounted in the needle grooves 2 and in engagement with the outer edges of the needle walls 3 are jacks 4 and needles 5. All the jacks have lower butts 6 and upper'buttsor other formations 'I as well as intermediate and frangible saw-tooth butts 8 while. the needles 5. all have-butts 9. The jacks 4. and companion needles 5 are shown as being provided with interlocking hook-shaped portions Ill and H respectively, the construction and oporation being such that when the hook-shaped portions I0 and I I are in the relative lateral position shown in Fig. 3 downward movements imparted to the jacks 4 are transmitted to their companion needles, whereas when the-hookshaped. portions I 0 are outwardly spaced with respect to the portions II, the downward move- 2. The walls 3 are retained in position at their 'lower ends by means of a plateor ring I-B which is'attached to the stationary bedplate I9- of the machine upon which the cams hereinafter to be described are mounted. Spring bands prevent the jacks from falling out of their slots 2,

but do not cause the jacks torock and effect interengagement with their companion needles. The walls 3v are thus prevented from being dis placed outwardly with respect to the needle bed by means of thefplate I8 and spring bands-and are maintained in the desired vertical positionby-means of the recesses I5, I61 and H.

The needles 5 maybe of the pivoted latch, spring needle or other type and their butts 9 move along the pathway indicated by the dot and dash lines 2|, Fig-.1. I Selection of the jacks 4 is effected-"by ase'ries-of cams 22 which are 'radially or transversely movable with respect to the needle bed I and when advanced to the position shown in Fig. 2" are in a position to" be en-- gaged by appropriate frangible butts 8 and by appropriate is. meant butts remaining on the jacks atthe level or position of an advanced cam 22. When a butt 8 engages a cam 22 it rides upsuch camas indicated .by the dot and dash line 23,"Fig. 1, and as'the jacks and needles advance in the directionof the arrow, Fig; 1, the selected jacks are elevated until their butts I are in the position shown in Fig. 3 where, upon cycle, the needlebutts 9 companion to the selected jacks are engaged by cam 25 which causes the said needles to be elevated suificiently to effect interengagement of the hook-shaped portions Wand II. The butts f the other needles also ride up the cam 25 without, however, offaecting engagement of such needles with their respective jacks. Continued movement of the needles and jacks with respect to the cams causes all the butts 6 of-the jacks to be engaged by a cam 28- which lowers all the jacks, the butts of; which move along the pathway indicated by the. dot and dash line ill. The lowering of the previously selected jacks likewise causes their companion needles-5 be lowered, the butts of which move along the pathway indicated by the dot, and. dash. line 28 while the butts of the non selected needles move along the pathway 29. The needles thatmove along the pathway 28 may thusbecaused to-miss one or more threads or not to. rise". high enoughto cast off the old stitches, as from. the needle latches, in which casetuck'stitches are formed when the butts 9 ofs ich needles thereafter and during the knittingof a following course, move along a pathwaysuch as 2 9. After the needles are acted upon by the knitting cams 36, ill, they move along to engage another cam 25 "after which the then selected ja'cks retract their needles as before and the 'giacks not selected do not aifect themove ments of their companion needles.

'By the construction just described, the jacks 4 when engaged by a fixed cam such as 24 are rocked upon a fulcrum 32 formed by engagement of the jacks with the needle backing walls and. the beveling of the lower ends of the jacks as at 33. For re-selection the jacks are all rocked to the position shown in Fig. 2 by the descending needles, the jacks and needles being first.sepa rated as the butts 9 are initially engaged by the cam 30 and the butts 6 of the jacks are engaged by the cam 34. Continued downward movement of needles by the cam 30 causes the hook-shaped ends ll of the needles to engage bevels 35 on the jacks thus causing them to move outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2. Thereafter the butts 9 of the needles are engaged by the cam 3| and elevated slightly toward the position shown in Fig. 2 by that portion of the cam 3| designated by the numeral 36. To prevent downward movement of the needles occasioned by the cam 30, resulting in damage to the jacks or needles, cam 34 is recessed at 31 and likewise is recessed at 38 to prevent cam 39, which repositions the jacks for their next selection, damagingthe said jacks.

In Figs. 4, and 6 a modification is shown in which the needle bed [is provided with needle backing walls 3 of the type shown in Figs. 2 and 3. However, the needles 4|) and jacks 4| are constructed and operated differently from the nee-, dles and jacks shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The needles'40 may be of the usual construction, i. e., with butts 42 at the lower ends of the needles. The jacks 4| are provided with a series of frangible, preferably, saw-tooth butts 43 selectively engaged as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 by selective cams 44 which are movable radially or transversely, with respect to the needle bed I. The jacks 4| are all provided with butts 45 or other formations which are engaged by a cam 46 when the jacks are elevated by a cam 44 to the position shown in Fig. 6. The jacks 4| are grooved as at 41 and the usual spring band 48 surrounds the needle cylinder or engages the outer wall of the needle bed as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6, the purpose of the spring band being to retain the jacks in position in the slots of the needle bed without, however, acting upon the jacks in such a manner as to-cause them to tilt or rock on the fulcrum 48 provided by the needle backing walls 3 and the beveling of the upper portions of the said jacks.

As hereinbefore stated selective raising of the jacks 4| by engagement of the frangible butts 43 with the cams 44 causes the butts 45 to be elevated to the position shown in Fig. 6 where a cam 46 engages butts 45 of the raised jacks, thus causing the jacks 4| to be rocked on the fulcrum 49 to the position shown in Fig. 6 in which position the butts 53 on the lower ends of the jacks are transversely moved to such a position as to engage the cam 5| which is spaced somewhat from the needle bed. Interengagement between the deflected jacks and the cam 5| after 7 being initially eifected ismaintained by reason of the outwardly and downwardly beveled upper edge of the cam 5| and the correspondingly beveled lower edge of the butts 55. the needles and jacks with respect to the cams Movements of thereafter causes the butts 50 of the rocked the butts of which consequently move along horizontally as indicated at 55. As a consequence of the needle selection just described, the needles that move along the path 53 are later depressed by the cam 54 and knit in the usual manner whereas the needles that are not selected by the jacks do not knit, their butts 42 moving along the path 55.. While the cam 54 is acting upon butts 42 of the needles a cam 56 engages the butts 45 of the jacks and causes the jacks to be depressed to the position shown in Fig. 5. A cam 51 preferably integral with the cam 54 engages the butts 42 of the needles and relieves the stitches to such an extent as to iacilitate the knocking over of the old loops by sinkers in the usual manner.

The jacks 4| are rocked to the position shown in Fig. 5 by means of that portion of the cam 5| designated by the numeral 58 which engages the tails 59 of the said jacks 4|, the butts 50 being ofi the cam 52 at that time.

After the cams 30, 3|, 34, 39 and 52, 54, 56, 51 have acted upon the needles and jacks as just described, said needles and jacks are in position for re-selection at the next feeding station if the invention be applied to a multi-feed knitting machine or to the same feeding station if a single feed only be used.

The operation may bebriefly described as so controlling certain of the knitting instrumentalities, such as the jacks 4 and 4 I, that at one phase of the knitting cycle preparatory movements are imparted to them and at anotherphase of the knitting cycle said 'instrumentalities are rocked or moved in a direction, substantially at right angles to the direction of the first movement, said last named movement causing the instrumentalities acted upon to cooperate ineffecting the knitting of special stitches such as tuck and float stitches.

Although in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the needles pursue a path that would result in the knitting of accumulated loops or tuck stitches, and in'the form of the invention-shown in Figs. 4, 5' and 6 the needles are shown as pursuing paths that would result in the knitting of float stitches, it will be evident that either tuck stitches, float stitches or other special stitches can be knitted with either form of needle control.

Instead of: selective and other movements to jacks 4 or 4|. in the manner hereinbefore described, the knitting instrumentalities acted upon may be pressers for selectively closing the beards of spring beard needles, or needles themselves in which event the needles acted upon by cams such as 24 would be deflected out of line with respect to the remaining needles thereby permitting the knitting of reverse plated fabric Where two yarns are knitted throughout or float stitch fabric where two yarns are knitted at some of the wales in certain courses and one onlyof the yarns at other wales.

The construction hereinbefore described provides a very compact arrangement for selection ofkni-tting instrumentalities, e. g., the needles. the instrumentalities 4 and 4! being substantiallystraight and thus movable lengthwise of the needle cylinder in the slots thereof. Furthermore, the selective cams, such as 22 and 44, are arranged closely adjacent to the needle cylinder, the arrangement of the cams being possible by the mounting of the jacks 4 and 4| as described.

mentalities are referred to it is the intention to include all kinds of movable instrumentalities which cooperate directly or indirectly in the knitting of stitches, e. g., needles, jacks, pressers, sinkers and the like.

In the foregoing description, parts and combinations thereof have been described in detail, but such detailed description is not intended to limit the invention other than determined by the scope of the claims themselves.

I claim:

1. An independent needle knitting machine having needles and jacks independently mounted therein, said needles and jacks having interengaging formations, said jacks each having on one edge thereof removable, selective butts and a conformation, means for selectively acting upon the said selective butts on the jacks to move them to a position for interengagement with their companion needles and a single cam for thereafter engaging the said conformations on the selectively moved jacks to impart movements to the said jacks substantially at right angles to the first mentioned movements, the construction and operation of the jacks and needles being such that movements thereafter imparted to the selected jacks retract the needles companion to the selected jacks.

2. An independent needle knitting machine having needles and jacks independently mounted therein, said needles and jacks having interengaging formations, said jacks each having on one edge thereof removable, selective butts and a conformation, means for selectively acting upon the said selective butts on the jacks to move them to a position for interengagement with their companion needles and other means for thereafter engaging the said conformations on the selectively moved jacks to impart movements to the said jacks substantially at right angles to the first mentioned movements, the construction and operation of the jacks and needles being such that movements thereafter imparted to the selected jacks retract the needles companion to th selected jacks.

3. An independent needle knitting machine including a needle bed and having needles and other knitting instrumentalities in association therewith, some of the said associated knitting instrumentalities being substantially straight and having selective conformations, means positioned closely adjacent to the needle bed and selectively acting upon the said conformations to impart movements to the instrumentalities last named longitudinally of the needle ,bed in the same slots as their respective needles, and a fixed cam thereafter acting only upon such of the instrumentalities as have been selectively acted upon, the fixed cam engaging the selective instrumentalities and imparting other movements to them substantially at right angles to the direction of selective movements of the selected instrumentalities.

4. A knitting machine having a rotary needle cylinder and slots therein within which knitting instrumentalities are mounted, some of said knitting instrumentalities being substantially straight and mounted in the needle cylinder for selective movements longitudinally and transversely of th needle cylinder, selective butts variously positioned along the last mentioned instrumentalities, selective cams for acting upon the said butts closely adjacent to the needle cylinder to impart the said selective, longitudinal movements to the instrumentalities, a cam for thereafter acting upon selectively moved instrumentalities to impart the said transverse movements thereto for the purpose of selectively controlling the character of the knitted fabric.

5. A knitting machine having a rotary needle cylinder and slots therein within which knitting instrumentalities are mounted, said knitting instrumentalities being substantially straight and some of said instrumentalities being mounted in the needle cylinder for se ective movements longitudinally and transversely of the needle cylinder, selective butts variously positioned along the last mentioned instrumentalities, selective cams positioned closely adjacent to the needle cylinder acting upon the said butts to impart the said selective, longitudinal movements to the instrumentalities, a cam for thereafter acting upon selectively moved instrumentalities to impart the said transverse movements thereto for the pur--' pose of selectively controlling the character of the knitted fabric.

6. A knitting machine including a needle bed and knitting instrumentalities movably mounted therein, said instrumentalities being substantially straight and some of said knitting instrumentalities being mounted in the needle bed for selective movements longitudinally and transversely of the needle cylinder, selective butts variously positioned along the last mentioned instrumentalities, selective cams positioned closely adjacent to the needle bed'and acting upon the said butts to impart the said selective, longitudinal movements to the instrumentalities, a cam for thereafter acting upon selectively moved instrumentalities to impart the said transverse movements thereto for the purpose of selectively controlling the character of the knitted fabric.

ROBERT H. LAWSON. 

